Shotgun wad



Sept. 30, 1969 L, A, PACE 3,469,527

SHOTGUN WAD Filed March 7. 196B INVENTOR. ELA/VD A. PACE Mig/71M United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 107.-42 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a wad for a shotgun shell and to a shotgun shell assembly including said wad. The wad is adapted to be used with a standard shell which includes a base member and a tubular casing which form an interior cylindrical cavity. The wad fits within this cavitv and includes a pressure-responsive sliding piston which shoves ahead of it a plunger that reacts against a charge of shot on the opposite side of a divider member, which divider member and piston are joined together in such a manner that the structure is unitary. The piston can move toward the divider member in order to move the plunger and open the enclosure means to release the shot. The result is a unitary construction which can be used in the reloading of a shotgun shell which can be dropped into a standard shell without the need for crimping the wall of the shell. If desired, a powder charge can be provided in a cavity in the piston so that the wad carries all elements except the primer.

Thi-s invention relates to a wad for a shotgun shell and to a shotgun shell assembly including the wad.

In the art of reloading shotgun shells, it is known to remove the spent primer and replace it with a new one, install a propellant (powder) charge, and thereafter to put in such shot and wadding as is desired, after which the wall of the casing, which is usualy made of paper or plastic, is crimped over to enclose the contents. A problem faced by reloaders is the necessity of weighing out or providing accurate amounts of the various components and also of getting sutlicient shells for reloading. After a paper shell is shot a few times, the ends become so frayed that crimping of the ends is no longer practicable and the shell is no longer useful. For this reason, it is not uncommon to purchase new shells merely to get them for reloading.

It is an object of this invention to provide a wad which can be sold as an integral member including just the correct amount of shot `already enclosed in a crimped structure and in such a manner that it can be placed into a shotgun shell Without the necessity of crimping the shotgun casing.

An optional object is to provide a powder charge as part of the wad.

This invention is carried out in combination with a standard shotgun shell of the class that includes a base member which usually is anged for retention in the barrel, and a tubular casing member, usually made of paper or plastic, which forms an open-mouthed cavity with a cylindrical sidewall within which a propellant (powder) charge is detonated to generate a high-pressure gas. The wad of this invention comprises a circular piston adapted to make a sliding fluid-sealing fit with the cylindrical sidewall, a divider member axially spaced from the piston member, and a yieldable brace member which joins and spaces apart the divider member and the piston. The brace member is yieldable upon application of suicient axial compressive force to permit the piston to approach the divider member.

A plunger abuts the piston and passes through the divider member to project onto the opposite side of the divider member therefrom. A charge of shot is provided within enclosure means that contains the same. The enclosure means is adapted to t within the cylindrical sidewall and includes an enclosing crimped end adapted to be opened by axial force exerted through the shot. The enclosure means is restrained to the divider member to form a unitary structure of piston, brace member, plunger, divider member, enclosure member and shot which is adapted to be unitarily loaded into the shell.

According to a preferred but optional feature of the invention, the piston may have a cavity therein within which the propellant charge can be placed, whereby all reloading is accomplished by the insertion of the wad into a shell which has had a fresh primer placed in it.

The above and other features of this invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a side elevation, partly in axial cross-section showing the presently-preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view of the assembly of FIG. 1 after detonation of the propellant charge;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation, partly in lcutaway cross-section, showing a modification of the assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-section of a portion of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section taken at line 5 5 of FIG. l', and

FIG. 6 is a top view taken at line 6 6 of FIG. l.

This invention includes a conventional shotgun shell 10 with a base member 11 customarily provided with a flange 12 and a port 13 for a primer 14. A tubular casing member 1S is attached to the base. In conventional shells this tubular member is made of paper or of plastic, but in this invention it could even be made of metal inasmuch as no crimp is required to be made in this part. The casing member includes an open-mouthed cavity 16 with a smooth internal cylindrical sidewall 17.

A propellant charge 18 is customarily placed against the base in contact with the primer. This charge will be more fully described below.

A wad 20 is an integral structure, meaning that the entire structure will be picked up when any part of it is picked up. It includes a piston 21 which makes a fluidsealing, sliding contact with the cylindrical sidewall 17. As an assistance in keeping the generated gas charge enclosed as much as possible, a flexible skirt 22 is formed at the base of the piston. This forms a cavity 23 whose optional use will be further discussed below.

A plunger 25 with a tapered stem 26 abuts the upper face of the piston and passes through a hole in a divider member 27 so that its head 28 stands on the opposite side of the divider member from the piston.

A plurality, preferably three or four (three being shown) of brace members 30, 31, 32 join the divider member to the piston and preferably includes a groove 33 conveniently formed as a joggle which will allow the brace members to buckle when compressive force is exerted between the piston and the divider member. The tapered stem provides room for the brace members to collapse, and the joggles, which form a weakened point, are preferably somewhat below the mid-point of the brace members.

The base member includes a tubular extension 35 forming van enclosure means which extends away from the piston and the divider member and forms an internal cylin- -drical cavity within which is placed a charge of shot 36. The tubular end of extension 35 may be crimped in a standard manner or, preferably if a stiff material is used, a plurality of tapered tabs may be formed at the end, and these folded in as tabs 37 as shown in FIG. 6 to enclose the shot and hold it in the enclosure means. The enclosure means then has a crimped end and a closed end.

The enclosure means may conveniently be made of paper or of plastic, but will usually be of the same material as the divider member, so as to be continuous with the divider member. It could, of course, be of different material and be cemented thereto.

Because it is not desired for the wad merely to drop out of the casing member, and because some drag between the two is useful, `a pair of glands 38 are formed around the wall of tubular extension. These may conveniently be of the same material if the device is of plastic, or of any other deformable material. The preferred structure is shown in FIG. 4, where a `gland 38 is shown with a dellectable linger and relief 39 enabling the wad readily to be shoved into the casing, but resisting its removal. The size of the gland is exaggerated for illustrative purposes. The clearance between the wall of the tubular member and the inner wall of the casing member is quite close and the gland will not usually extend radially more than a few thousands of an inch.

A modification of the powder charge is shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. l, the charge was compacted in the shell independently of the wad. In FIG. 3, a flexible envelope 40 is bonded by adhesive 41 into the recess in the piston. This envelope carries a charge of propellant (powder), and forms `a portion of the Wad structure. It ts readily between the piston and the base member. The envelope will be made of a thin film, which is readily pierced by the gases from the primer, such as 2 mil polyethylene.

The operation is as follows. The Wad is loaded into a shell, and the shell assembly is loaded into a gun, and the gun is fired so that the primer ignites the propellant charge. The wad makes a snug fit in the shell because of the glands, and the shot has a substantial inertia as cornpared to that of the piston. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the piston begins to move at once tow-ard the shot, pressing the plunger ahead of it and collapsing the brace members. The brace members t in alongside the reduced portion of the stem.

This force on the shot is exerted on the crimps, which opens the crimped end. After a short relative motion of the piston toward the divider member, the crimped end is wide open, and the shot is free to fly loose. At about this time, the piston bears against the divider member (pressing the folded brace members against it), and the entire wad starts in full flight up the barrel of the gun. As it leaves the barrel of the gun the shot continues in a good pattern because most of it was surrounded by the enclosure member until it reached the end of the barrel, thereby avoiding some problems of turbulence often encountered in shotgun barrels. As soon as the wad hits the air, the shot flies away freely, but the remainder, which is of light weight and has a relatively large surface area, quickly decelerates and falls to the ground within a few feet.

The materials of construction of this device are simple and need only be resistant to the high temperatures of the gases for the short period of time it is in flight up the barrel of the gun. It has been found that polyethylene cast into the integral structures shown is quite suitable, as are paper or other conventional plastic compositions for the enclosure member if preferred.

This invention thereby provides for the reloader a wad which can be handled as a unit and simply pushed into an existing shell, which shell does not itself have to be crimped and which therefore can last for an indefinite period of time, and can even be a metal shell if desired.

'The reloader is freed of the nuisance of weighing or meas uring the shot, and if desired can even buy the wad including an already weighed powder charge as shown in FIG. 3. This device thereby comprises a useful reloading and reserve ammunition supply for field use, and lowers the cost to the reloader by freeing him from the dependence upon and cost of a continuing supply of used shells.

What is claimed:

1. A wad for a shotgun shell, said shell including a base member and a casing member which form an openmouthed cavity with a cylindrical sidewall within which a propellant charge is detonated to generate a high pressure gas :adjacent to said base member, said wad comprising: a circular piston adapted to make a sliding fluid sealing fit with the cylindrical sidewall; a divider member axially spaced from the piston member; and a yieldable brace member which joins and spaces apart the divider member and the piston, and is yieldable upon application of sufficient axial compressive force to permit the approach of the piston toward the divider member; a plunger abutting the piston, passing through the divider member, and projecting onto the opposite side of the divider member therefrom; a charge of shot; `and enclosure means containing said shot, said enclosure means being adapted to fit within said cylindrical sidewall, and including an enclosing crimped end adapted to be opened by axial force exerted through said shot, said enclosure means being restrained to the divider member to form a unitary structure of piston, brace member, plun-ger, divider means, enclosure member, and shot, adapted to be unitarily loaded into the shell, in which, upon detonation of the propellant charge, the piston moves against the plunger causing the brace member to yield and the plunger to shove the shot to open the crimp, and the piston thereafter to expel the entire wad.

2. A wad according to claim 1 in which the brace member comprises a strap adapted to bend at a medial point.

3. A wad according to claim 1 in which the enclosure means comprises a tubular extension of the base member.

4. A wad according to claim 3 in which the brace member comprises a strap adapted to bend at a medial point.

S. A wad according to claim 4 in which the tubular extension includes a plurality of tabs folded to form the crimped end.

6. A wad according to claim 1 in which a cavity is formed in the piston on the side thereof away from the plunger, and in which a propellant charge is held in said cavity.

7. A wad according to claim 1 in which a gland is formed on said enclosure means for restraining the enclosure means relative to the casing member.

8. A shotgun shell assembly comprising a base member, a casing member attached to the base member, these members forming an open-mouthed cavity with a cylindrical sidewall, a propellant charge adjacent to the base member, and a wad adjacent to the propellant charge within the cavity, said wad comprising a circular piston adapted to make a Sliding fluid-sealing t with the cylindrical sidewall; a divider member axially spaced from the piston member; and a yieldable brace member which joins and spaces apart the divider member and the piston, and is yieldable upon application of sufficient axial cornpressive force to permit the approach of the piston toward the divider member; a plunger abuttin-g the piston, passing through the divider member, and projecting onto the opposite side of the divider member therefrom; a charge of shot; and enclosure means containing said shot, said enclosure means being adapted to fit within said cylindrical sidewall, and including an enclosing crimped end adapted to be opened by axial force exerted through said shot, said enclosure means being restrained to the divider member to form a unitary structure of piston, brace member, plunger, divider means, enclosure member, and shot, adapted to be unitarily loaded into the shell, in which upon detonation of the propellant charge, the piston moves against the plunger, causing the brace member to yield and the plunger to shove the shot open the crimp, and the piston thereafter to expel the entire wad.

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,402,664 9/ 1968 Cramer 102-95 X 3,405,638 10/1968 Stoner 102-95 X FOREIGN PATENTS 473,162 9/1914 France. 265,370 2/ 1927 Great Britain.

10 ROBERT F. STAHL, Primary Examiner 

